House bill addresses land swap deals

A bill pending in the state House of Representatives proposes to require any government-to-government sale of land be advertised in the local newspaper.

By Jason MortonStaff Writer

A bill pending in the state House of Representatives proposes to require any government-to-government sale of land be advertised in the local newspaper.Rep. Alan Harper, R-Northport, wants to ensure that residents are made aware when a government or governmental agency intends to transfer land to another government or governmental agency.“We felt like this was a way to add some transparency to these type of governmental transactions,” Harper said, especially if a transaction is for the benefit of a landfill.Now, any intergovernmental land sale requires no official notification, which is why the Black Warrior Solid Waste Disposal Authority made no announcement last year when it bought 529 acres from the Alabama Department of Mental Health in order to expand the landfill off U.S. Highway 82 near Mount Olive Road.The $4.23 million land sale was approved by the authority in February 2012 and finalized a month later, but news reports of the transaction didn't surface until September.At the time, mental health department spokesman Jeff Shackelford said the department did not announce the sale because it was a government-to-government agency transaction and was not subject to bid laws.This sale came as a surprise — and drew the ire — of many Northport residents, and some raised concerns about how the transaction would affect their own property values.While the state mental health department and solid waste authority were within their legal rights, some citizens said it was wrong to hide the sale until it was over.“Legally, they may be OK,” said Northport property owner Frank Thompson last year, “but morally, I don't think they were OK with doing it that way.”Gov. Robert Bentley's office defended the sale in September, but Harper said the governor voiced no concerns with the bill he introduced soon after the 2013 legislative session began.“The governor is in full support,” Harper said, “and I'm hoping our Legislature is too.”Harper said he hopes the bill, HB 121, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton; and Rep. April Weaver, R-Pelham, will make it to a committee calendar within the next two weeks and then to the House floor for a vote.“I think the people deserve to know what their tax dollars are being spent on,” Harper said.